Sketches and Studies
![Franciscan Allegory in Honor of the Immaculate Conception, 1631–32, by Peter Paul Rubens](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/f23a1pgq/pma_production/6676b4d1fb8a79efcda52ffc112947571c0133b9-6144x4800.jpg?rect=893,786,4239,3179&bg=f2f2f2&w=640&h=480&q=80&fit=clip)
Before beginning their paintings, artists often produce preparatory sketches and studies to refine their compositions. But these sketches and studies are hardly just a means to end—for centuries, artists and collectors have valued these works for their liveliness and informality. Sometimes artists have even blurred the lines between their sketches and finished works, bringing a sketch-like spontaneity to their finished paintings, or exhibiting sketches publicly. Browse a selection of painted sketches and studies from the museum’s collections of European Art.